I'll see your sin and raise you Jesus

I head a thought on the way to work today, regarding immorality …

 

Thinking of it as like, erosion.  Slowly, but surely it can wear away the veneer of our Christianity exposing our true sinful nature, where at some point, the foundation of ourselves cannot bear the burden, and we collapse and succumb to the sin.  For some it may be a wandering eye or lustful thought or a quick glimpse maybe a quick drink or flirty conversation.  They slowly become normalcy and before we even realize (deception, narrow focus) we are fully engulfed in the thing we are so pitted against. 

 

So I think about those who’s foundations are loose soil.  An unbeliever, or a believer who is struggling with doubt.  Those erosions from immorality (all around us, constantly) are continually eating away their foundation, their arid soil.  But we have Christ as our rock solid foundation … we are still going to have erosion, but at an infinitesimal rate, compared to those who are without Him.

 

I’ve been in this position before and very glad for God’s whispers to keep, during every moment, focus upon his path and the promises he makes for me.

 

I think God wants us to use metaphors, from the living world around us, to be able to better formulate these ideas of how he wants us to live, to be able to better understand the stark contrast between living for him and living for ourselves.  Jesus told many stories and used many metaphors, which included environmental parables.  I guess there is something to that!

 

Just some thoughts running through my head this morning.  You can pray for my mind, eyes, ears, heart to seek and focus on his path.  This life is filled with so many distractions, literally the devil’s playground we live in, vying for our attention.

James 1:5
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

Are your ears open?

Is anyone else struggling to get into bikini shape?  I’m a man so I’m not dealing with that issue … but I do get an email every Monday morning from Outback Steakhouse for a free bloomin’ onion whenever there guy makes the top 10 in the Nascar race over the weekend.  I can’t help but fall into those bloomin’ onion temptations, because its always something.  “OK” I tell myself “Tomorrow is a new day and we’ll start then.” and then the weekend comes and we go bananas on Pizza Party Friday or we go to our friends and have a little more than we normally would and then … repeat the cycle.  I look at my kids and I think, I should just eat what they do.  we force upon them organic veggies and great proteins … water and some milk on occasion.   Of course the afternoon or after dinner treat is something we all look forward to.  The problem is too many treats for me … not enough veggies.  Oh well, maybe bikini body next year?

 

So this weekend was sheetrock central at our place.  my wife and I hung drywall and it was awesome how things turned out.  its amazing to me that I have a wife who will still make me food, love on me and hang drywall with me even though I am a big, stinky, loud and sometimes ineffective man.

 

By ineffective, I mean of course, I don’t always rush for the lotion to rub her feet after a day on mine.

 

But we should.  I should.

 

We are called to serve and what it boils down to, is that we need to be the 2^nd greatest need fulfillers there are.  People are starving for the Truth and purpose.  Now, I can’ fulfill your deepest needs, sorry about that.  Actually, no one can.  Only Jesus.

 

I’m pretty sure my wife’s deepest need is foot rubs and calve massages.  She would beg to differ, but it’s a close second I’m sure.

 

Well today I’m rambling because I am super achy, my 34 going on 35 year old bod can’t take the abuse like it used to.

 

Do you ever want to stay up late because you get some “me time” and then realize you have to get up at 6am and its like 12:30?  Not the first time its happened to me and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

 

I’d like to get the pictures up of the work on the house, hopefully soon I’ll have some time to devote to this journaling.  I intended to be on here more than I am, but finding that wife, kids, house, work, friends and other activities tend to carve out the time.

 

Today is my opportunity to do something new, to take a risk, to walk like I believe.  And not just talk like I believe.

 

Are you a walker or a talker?  Have an example?

 

My verse today is James 1:19 (NIV)

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,”

 

 

Are you listening?

What do you need to ask for? 1 John 5:14-15

What do you need to ask for?

 

So this morning I am talking with my wife.  We are having a discussion about a dream she has had where I came home and told her how excited I was at riding home with a woman from church because she was “smoking hot”.  As you can imagine neither of us was thrilled with the dream, but my wife especially because she prays that God would speak to us through our dreams and he has told her things before which I wish he would have left private because I was hiding from her.  So her take on the dream is what do you need to tell me?  with a very mad face.

I am not the same person, inside, that I was 10-20 years ago.  My wife has right to be suspicious as I let my heart wander and my body and I was immature and selfish and left my wife for another woman for a time.  We nearly divorced, but I truly felt the prayers of my family, friends and even those of my wife.  We met one night during the turmoil of that time and we talked for about 4 hours.  We hadn’t spoke in months, up until that time.  God moved in my heart and that evening I decided I wanted her back and I wanted to fight for our marriage.  That was 8 years ago.  So my wife, has even more of a right, I believe, to be suspect.  She hasn’t had these dreams in ages and the reality is that I’m not having an affair.  However, I’m still susceptible to temptation from the internet, TV, magazine, billboards, newspapers, and the list goes on and on.  What we do with those images, as men, can be detrimental to our health, our marriages, our stability as well as our inner conscious.

Most men think that a glance is a glance, it won’t hurt anything.  I have read in various journals and magazines that an image in a man’s brain will be viewable for up to 6 years, even if we want to try to forget it.  I’ll admit that evening opening your email can be difficult, per se, as the scrolling images of single women roll up the screen for a dating website service.

My wife’s dream also articulated to me that although she may be suffering from her own lack of sexuality because of raising three kids, nursing our youngest, cooking, cleaning (and the million other jobs that go along with being a stay-at-home mom) that the real problem is that I am not owning up to my covenant with God regarding honoring her as my wife and more importantly as her daughter.  Everyday is a “new love” with your wife.  Overnight, her love tank runs dry and its up to you to fill it each day.  Every.  Day.  When my wife starts having dreams of the type that I just mentioned it doesn’t (thank God) point to an exact meaning.

What gets lost day to day I think is that honor and respect we need to have for each other as children of god.  The cranky neighbor across the street.  God loves them.  The rude waitress at the restaurant.  God loves her.

And so must we.  It’s our calling.

Let me get to the point.  Today’s bible verse is 1 John 5:14-15: 

     “This is the confidence we have in approaching god, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.   And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Isn’t that amazing!!!  We have not because we ask not!  You’ve heard it before but maybe this will put it in a new light, for some of you.

You can be confident, that all you ask for from God, that if its according to his will, you will receive. 

Doesn’t this make you feel great?!  now all those things you were hesitant to ask for, felt selfish for asking for, for guilty for asking for … well those feelings may be your conscious telling you, you don’t need them. 

I’m not talking new cars and jewelry.  You can ask, I guess!  Maybe you’ll ask and it will inspire you to save, but then you’ll have all the money saved and you’ll end up giving it to charity instead.  I don’t know!   Maybe it will inspire you to be a marriage mentor because you’ve been through some rough patches and you know you have plenty to share with others who are in that situation, but you don’t like talking in front of people.  Pray for public speaking skills and a heart for marriages!   The possibilities are truly endless and I’m guessing what you aren’t asking for is something that you really need to do.

But what I’m getting at here and what you can find joy in today … is that God will give you all that you ask for, in accordance for his will for you; his purpose for you and his kingdom.

I have listed below my “wants”.  Now they aren’t perfect or in any order, they just popped into my head.  I have added the verse I shared with you today to my index card verses and on the back I am going to keep a list of wants.  This way I can pray for them and add to them and cross them off as those prayers are answered.

I “want” in my life

- fulfilled marriage

- closer walk with God
- my kids to seek/follow God
- real, open, relationships
- marriage counseling others
- Fun!!!
- wisdom
- discernment
- continual spiritual growth
- acreage (a hobby farm)
- sustainability
- livestock
- maple trees for maple syrup
- honey bees
- to honor my parents
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(I left some blank so I can come back and add more)

All of those things I listed I am asking god for today.  Thatt if it’s his will that any of those things that I want can bring him and his kingdom glory that he would provide them to us, now or in the future.

 

My prayer is today for all you who may read this entry, to be filled with contentment and joy knowing that your live as a Christian is well-taken care of on this earth and for eternity in heaven.  That you will have no needs because he meets them all and that your wants, according to his will, will be met … because you asked for it in prayer.  Thank you Jesus for all those who have met you in this place today, that the weight they feel to be perfect, to live up to others standards, who struggle with peer review that they would remember to ask for all they want and you would provide to them it all, as it is according to your will for them.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

So I’m going to ask the question one more time. 

What do you need to ask for?

Think about it.